Together forever
by Anonymous181
Summary: A glimpse of Nears past


Running from the house covered in flames, seeing his peaceful life, the only life he had known and loved falling apart in front of his very eyes. A little figure running out into the cold night, barefoot and in white pyjamas, the white frost outside matching his white hair so that it became hard to tell where the snow ended and where he began. The only thing that he managed to escape with was his white stuffed lamb toy, the only left memoir and piece of his early life. Running, running, until he collapsed onto the snow, exhausted and cold and heading blindly towards he himself did not know where...

L was going outside for some work. Watari had asked him to take the car but he had refused, saying that he wanted to walk. His justification was that it was good for health and that detectives needed to stay active and "in shape". He was almost halfway there when he saw a little figure lying on the pavement. His heart almost stopped in his chest when he realized that the figure was human. Could it be? He argued with himself saying that it was insensible to think that but his other, reasoning side knew better. He was a detective, he had seen countless human bodies in a collapsed position, this one was no different. He went over, building up his pace until he surprised himself. He had never walked that fast before. Usually L was a calm and steady person, he never had any hurry to do anything (which included walking as well) but the current situation demanded otherwise. When he reached the figure he realized his judgement was correct. It was a human. And made worse by the fact that it was a human CHILD. Immediately he started trying to make links and reasons about what could have happened that made this child end up so far away from any dwellings or the community. He picked him up in his arms and started walking back to the orphanage.The kid was small, thin and freezing cold and very likely exhausted as well. He needed help at once and Watari would know what to do. His work could wait until later. He just wished that he had a blanket to keep him warm with at least. He reached the orphanage and asked the other kids where was Watari. They answered him while throwing curious glances at the child in his arms. They wondered why was L carrying him(because usually the kids were brought to the orphanage by Watari himself), who he was and whether he was going to stay with them. Two, in particular, were much more interested than any others. But not in a good way. They were glad that they had found another victim to bully and pick on. They were Matt and Mello, notorious for being known as the "bad boys" of Wammys house. The other kids feared and disliked them and often kept out of their way as much as possible.

Watari examined him thoroughly and then put him to bed in a warm room. He had alot of experience dealing with kids and he sensed correctly that this one had gone through some very disturbing events and would need to rest for a while. He also sensed a great potential in the kid and vowed that he would be one of the orphanages biggest successes one day. He was much younger than the other kids around. Most of them were 8 minimum, this one however looked only about 6. This was a cause of worry to him a little. He could easily get picked on and he particularly wanted Mello and Matt away from him. He pondered over what to do about it. L came into the room to ask about him and Watari told him and asked him if he could sleep with him tonight.

The next morning, Watari again came to check on the boy and found him awake and looking around in alarm. He told him that it was alright and that he was safe here. He was surprised beyond words to see that the boy actually had the same grey colored eyes, pale skin, hair style, face cut and serious expression like that of L's. In fact the only thing that was different between them was that his hair was snow white while L's was jet black. So much was the resemblance that he even considered bringing in L for a moment and asking him whether he had a son or a younger brother. But he dismissed it because it was a silly idea.. L was actually the one who had brought him here in the first place and would have showed signs of recognizing him in those cases. After a few weeks he settled in and showed signs of being content though Watari noticed that he was rather shy and socially awkward and mostly remained apart from the other kids. He had his own world consisting of his toys and solitude and was oblivious to anything going on around him. Watari also made an effort to find out the boys real name which he succeeded in. It was Nate River through which he decided to give him an alias as Near. So Near he came to be and added to the family of the orphanage.

A few days later, Wataris fears that Near would be picked on by the other kids came true. There was shouting and laughing coming from Nears room which Watari immediately became suspicious of since it was highly unlikely that there were other kids in his room, he did not like this kind of thing (and the other kids had also learnt that he preferred to be alone pretty much by now) or that he was playing with the other kids which was almost impossible considering Nears personality. He went in to investigate and, as he expected, saw that Matt and Mello were the ones behind all this drama.

They had grabbed one of Nears robots and were holding it away from him while calling him names all the while. And surprisingly it was Near who was actually shouting "Give it back Mello!". Mello was the one holding it away, while Matt was calling him "an albino sheep".This was the scene that Watari had walked into and now all the 3 kids fell deadly silent as he entered and Matt and Mello went red as beetroots as they realized that they had been caught red handed in the act and looked down at the floor ashamed. They knew very well that Nears room was out of bounds to them. Watari gave them an extremely stern look, with steely eyes and asked them the same thing. He then told them to give Near back his bot and then leave the room and go to thier individual bedrooms as a punishment. And threatened them that if he found them in there again he would probably lock them in their bedrooms for a couple of hours the next time too. That was enough to make them not repeat the same thing again but they found other ways to get back at poor Near.

A few days later, Matt and Mello went behind him again, but this time it was Near who was grabbed. It was well away from his bedroom, in an empty room so they had no chance of getting punished again. They held the frightened little boy by his shirt and pushed him against a wall and told him "Listen up you little albino sheep. Do u even know what the other kids think of you? They think that you are a werido and mentally retarded. And Watari is planning to send you away in a few days because you are a nuisance and a misfit. Nobody wants you here. So stay out of our sight okay?!" They then left and went to play outside, leaving poor Near confused and heartbroken, lost in his own muddled thoughts in a corner. Ever since his own family had left him, he had felt an empty void inside and the painful memories kept haunting him every night. And worse, they refused to become any dimmer and were as fresh in his mind just as if it had happened yesterday. So when he came here, he considered these kids to be his brothers and sisters and Watari as a fatherly figure. Even if he did not interact much with them, he had gotten emotionally attached to the place and its inhabitants in a different way. He saw it as a safe, secure place where he would always be happy and well cared for and it had made him start to get past his pain. Now, however, it all came rushing back and his little heart hurt him inside to know that they did not want him as well and he would lose his this family soon too. Of course Matt and Mello had been lying, not even a single thing they had said was true but innocent, little Near believed all of it.

That night, L came into his room to check on him and heard him sobbing. He went to him and put an arm around his little shoulders. The boy reminded L of much of his own childhood, from the way he looked to the way he behaved and he had a soft spot for him in his heart. He was a little startled to feel arms around him at first but immediately cheered up upon seeing him. L was Nears idol. Although they never spent much time together, even in those few times, Near adored him and looked up to him and considered him his Nii-san (big brother). The two had a just right, special chemistry which made them get along exceptionally well together. In fact L was really the only person Near talked to and interacted fully with in the entire orphanage. L asked Near why was he crying and Near told him everything that Matt and Mello had said to him including his own feelings. L laughed then told him the truth about everything and eased Nears little heart of any doubts or pains.

And thanks to L, Near slept happily and peacefully that night. But L's mind and heart were far from peaceful that night as he left Nears room. He had been laughing before but inside he was worried and angry at the two boys. They had caused Near so much stress and unhappiness just by telling him dreadful lies for the sake of thier usual purposes: teasing and showing that they had the authority around here. L realized that they would go to any lengths now that they had found a weak target. And L was fond of Near and certainly did not want him to be unhappy or scared in any way. Just as Near considered L his big brother, L too considered Near his little brother. He eventually decided to take him under his wing, guide him, and give him a playmate and thus began the story of a beautiful, true, lifelong friendship between the two. Watari often came into Nears room to find L there playing alongside him with his toys and in some cases, even found Near sitting in or sleeping in L's lap in his room while he was working. He smiled seeing the brotherly bond between the two because, as a rule, L did not allow any child into his working room unless there was a serious reason but Near seemed to be the one child exempted from this rule. Near also found a protector in L from Mello and Matt, much to thier annoyance. Most of the time, L stepped in himself when he found him in trouble and the two troublemakers soon learnt that getting into hot water with L would not do, (his scoldings and punishments were worse than that of Wataris even) and Near had an easy time, however, when he was not around, Near came to him himself and the end result to be witnessed was Near sobbing in L's shirt while L was hugging him with a stormy expression on his face and later on, Mello and Matt really had it in for them.

One night, L and Near went for a small moonlight walk outside the orphanage with L giving him a piggyback and Nears little hands in his messy black hair. Near was very curious and interested everything around him for he had never seen the world outside the orphanage and he was loving it now and L could not help but smile at his reaction, remembering that this was exactly how he had behaved when all those years ago, he had come to the orphanage (not on piggyback though) holding Wataris hand, just 8 years old. After some time, they went back inside because it was nearly bedtime for the children and L himself tucked Near into his bed and the next thing that little Near said made big L feel a series of emotions inside that he very rarely felt or experienced. L had just finished putting his blanket over him when he said "I love you, L-Niisan. Good night". For a few seconds L was stunned. Near had just called him his big brother and told him that he loved him. He looked down at the young boy, with his eyes closed now, and surprised even himself when he found tears in his eyes. This was the first time ever in his life that someone had told him that they loved him and in that moment, L saw how much the boy adored him and had reserved a special place for him in his little heart, even in that age and he realised that the feelings were mutual. He kissed him on his white head and told him with one of his rare smiles "I love you too, Nate. If you ever want to tell me anything, you can come whenever you want and we will solve it together, ok?" Now it was Nears turn to be surprised. His best friend knew his real name and had used it and he was happy that his big brother loved him and was there for him too. He nodded and said "Okay"."Good boy, now go to sleep, alright?" "Okay Nii-san. Good night" "Good night Near". L had infact, used his real name on purpose, knowing that it would make Near happy and he was pleased with the result.

Thier friendship grew stronger and stronger with every passing year and eventually they stopped considering each other as friends and called themselves brothers. Near grew to love and respect L greatly, so much so that when he started taking up cases as a detective in his own time, he firmly decided to stick to L's principles and did things exactly the way he did. L had now gotten old and though still keeping his career as a detective, he had handed most of the cases over to Near himself and had declared him as his successor. He was impressed to see that Near did not fail him even once. He still had L behind him to guide him where he needed guidance. He had L's nature of thinking cooly and rationally and staying calm in most situations and some of his quirks like squatting instead of sitting and playing with his toys. In his later years, he grew to resemble L so closely that it was hard to believe that they did not somehow have any blood relationship. A couple years later, a case came up which Near and L tackled together. There was a killer roaming free in the streets who was using a notebook to kill criminals and anyone who tried to stop him. Before they could bring him to justice, however, the killer managed to get to L. That night, Near cried like he had never before. He seldom usually cried or showed any emotions even which led people like Mello to name him "an emotionless robot". But anyone who would have stood outside Nears door that night would never even dream of giving a name like that to him. He had not wept like this ever since he was a little child and suddenly he felt alone and helpless, just like in his childhood the day he saw his house burning down in front of his eyes with his family inside and felt his heart breaking into a million pieces and hurting him inside, more than even that day a long time ago when Mello and Matt had told him that nobody wanted him. Now however, he really was alone. He had lost his bestest friend, he had lost his brother, who was always there for him and the one person who loved him. And that night, his heart filled with pure anger and hatred for L's murderer, he vowed that he would bring that killer to justice no matter what it took, he would avenge his brother, his idols and role models death and restore his pride as the world's greatest detective and would carry on his work and legacy by working under his name. He continued his researche and after a couple of years, was able to establish his own place as a detective. But the thing that no one noticed was that ever since the day L passed away, Near had become a lot more serious and quiet. He became afraid of getting closer to people because of the pain he would have to bear when they left him, just like L did. He had shut himself off from the world and became completely isolated. People called him "rude and overly sensitive" but had they known this story of his past, they might have thought twice before saying that. The only person he liked was, surprisingly enough, Mello (but not more than L) but unfortunately it was completely one sided. Before he left, L had asked Near and Mello to work together to solve this case, knowing that neither Near nor Mello would be able to do it on thier own. Near had agreed quite amiably, but Mello had outright refused, saying that he could not work with someone whom he was considered "second" to. He had stormed out saying that he would do this on his own which left Near to do everything. He formed an organisation, hired members, and in 2 years after L's death, his killer too faced his end at the hands of Near and his team. After many years, he took on L's title of the greatest detective in the world in earnest and history repeated itself once again


End file.
